Mail-handling apparatus.



W. L. MAINER.

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 10, 1912.

Patented June 4, 1912.

34400444306 flaw! 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Wituwoeo W. L. MAINER.

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED rmmo, 1912.

1,028,755, Patented June 4, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. WZZ R I COLUMBIA FMNOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, o. c.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIo WILLIAM L. MAINER, 0F LAMB,.TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO M. HUBER'I,

' LAMB, TEXAS.

MAIL-HANDLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJune 4, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. MAINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lamb, in the county of Liberty and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Handling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to handlingof mail and particularly to apparatus for delivering mail to moving trains.

The method practised ordinarily in transferring mail to a moving train necessitates the active supervision of the above operation by a station master who, by reasonfof the usually valuable nature of the mail, must needs place the same upon the delivery crane just before the passing of the train which is tocatch the mail for transportation.

The object of the present invention broadly is to provide an apparatus wherein the mail bag or pouch may be safely locked in a casbodiment of the present invention, 1 in the drawingsdenotes a casing of any conven ing or housing, special delivery means being provided to support the mail pouch in the casing against unauthorized removal, and protected from the elements as well. The :said delivery means, however, is automatically operable at a. predetermined time, approximating that at which the train passes, whereby to project the mail bagifrom the inclosing easing into a positionin which it may be readily caught by a suitablemechanism on the train.

So far. as I am aware, no apparatus operating in the above manner has been devised.

For a full understanding ofthe'present invention, reference is to be had to the following. description and to the acc0mpanying'drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of mail delivery apparatus embodying the invention, the doors and front portion ofthe casing being broken away to show the'arrangement' of certain interior parts. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the casing, showing the delivery arm in retracted position therein. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, the delivery arm, however, having been released to assume its delivering position.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Fig- 5 is a similar section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view taken about on the line 66 of Fig. 2, looking: toward the front of the casing, and showing. the delivery arm retracted.

I Throughout the-following detail descrip- ;withwhich the mail pouch 11 may be enterfrom the casing. A lock member 13 protion and'on the severalv figures of the draw iings, similar partsarereferre'd to by like reference characters. y

In 1ts general organrzatlon, the present lnvention embodles a. caslng, houslng or receptacle of any suitable general construcprojected from the casing,-its movement-un= locking. certain doors by which access may be had to said casing, thereby permitting.

the pouch to be placed in a position in which it may be caught by the passing train.

Specifically describing the preferred. em-

tional construction, being of box-like form, andsupported by a stand 2 which will, of

course, be located adjacent to a railroad track. The casing 1 is provided with the main doors 3, hinged or otherwise supported thereon, as shown at 4:. Below the doors 3 are auxiliary doors 5adapted to be locked by any suitable lock means, shown at 6, said doors 5vbeing preferably provided to permit of ready access to a time controlled device? 7 in the casing. A cross bar 8 in the casing 1 constitutes the axis or pivotal support of the mail delivery arm 9 pivoted thereto be- 'tween'its ends, and said arm 9 has the yieldable spaced pouch supporting, members 10 gaged in anyconventional way. A- spring 12 is secured. to the rear" wall of theeasmg ,1 and is adaptedqto engage the upper p'ortion of the arm 9 to forcibly project thelatjects rearwardly fromthe upper portion'of the arm9 and is engagedby a trip lever 14': pivoted to a cross piece 15 in the casing 11 The lower end of the trip lever 14:, has an extension 14" arranged in the path of movement of a. hammer-16, forming a part-oftthe time controlled device 7, the latter being,

preferably a clock mechanism of some sort. While the auxiliary doors 5 -ofj the caslng will be; locked by akey,E or thelike, in the possession of the station master, the main doors 3" are locked closed, when the; pants of the time controlled mechanism is accu- '-1- will';b'e obvious that the invention may be readily adapted for use on railway cars to seta mail catching arm-instead of a mail 1. In mail handling apparatus, th e com- -in operation, .it will beunderstood that as reratethe hammer 16 at a predetermined time, say a few minutes before the arrival ,the latter from the lock member 13, wheresuch a way as to open the latter, whereupon paratively short time only before it is engaged andcaught by thepassing train.

While the apparatus above described is normally 7 adapted to be actuated automatically 'at a predetermined time to assume an operative are in the position shown in Fig. 2, by a double catch lever 17 the catches 18 of which engage with loops 19 on the doors. A link 20 connects the inner end of the catch lever 17 with an arm 9 at a point above the pivotal support 8 of the latter, and the connection between the parts 17 and 20 permits of slight relative play, asshown at 20, desirable in order to properly set the lever 17 in a position locking the doors 3 closed.

The foregoing sets forth the general construction of the parts ofthis apparatus and,

soon as the mail is made up by the stationmaster, the pouch or bag containing the same will be engaged with the members 10 of the arm 9, and the various partsof the mechanism described will be set in the positions shown in Fig. 2, with the casing locked against unauthorized access thereto, and with'the'time controlled device 7-set to opof the train which is to catch the mail from the delivery apparatus. On operation of the time controlled device 7 the hammer 16 will strike'the triplever 14 and disengage upon the spring 12 will force the arm 9 outwardly toward the doors 3. The initial movement of the arm 9 through its connection 20 with thecatch lever 17 raises the catches 18 from'engagement with the loops 19 of the doors 8, unlocking or releasing said doors. Further movement of the arm 9 causes thev outermost member 10 and the mail pouch to impinge against the doors in I the arm '9 drops into delivering position wherein it is supported horizontally by a sill 21 in the manner shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. If the operation rate,it will be apparent that the mail bag will remain in delivering position a comparticularly; designed for use at stations along a track, with slight modification it delivering arm, as hereinbefore described, for which reason the arm 9 may be considered broadly to be a mail supporting arm inoperatively positioned and position. V

I-Iaving thus described the invention,

what is claimed as new is:

Copies of;thi sy patent'may;be obtained for five cents each, bytaddressing the Qommissionerof Patents,

' A Washington, D. G.

bination of a casing, doors normally closiing said casing, a mail supporting arm, means normally holding said arm retracted in he casing, automatic means for releasing s id arm, and means for projecting the arm from the casing.

2., In mail handling apparatus, the combination of a casing, a mail delivery. arm,

means normally holding said arm retracted 'in the casing, means. for releasing the arm,

means for projecting the arm from the easing when released, doors closing said casing, and means for locking said doors operable by the delivery arm.

3. In mail handling apparatus, the combination of a casing, a mail delivery arm, means normally holding said arm retracted in the casing, means for releasing the arm,

means for projecting the arm from the casing when released, and doors for closing said casing adapted to be opened by the delivery arm when projected from the caslng. t

4. In mail handling apparatus, the combination of a casing, a mail delivery arm,

means normally holding said arm retracted in the casing, means for-releasing the arm, means for pro ectlng the arm fro-m the casing'when released, doors closing said casing,

and means for locking the doors closed adapted to bereleased by movement of said;

arm, said doors being in the path of move ment of the arm to be forcibly opened thereby when the arm is released.

5. In mail handling apparatus, a casing, a delivery arm pivoted in said casing, means normally holding said arm retracted in the casing, and a time controlled device for releasing the arm from said retracting means.

6. In mall handllng apparatus, a caslng,

a delivery arm pivoted in said casing, means normally holding said arm retracted in the casing, a time controlled device for releasing the arm from said retracting means, and a spring for projecting the arm from the casing when released.

7 In mail handling a delivery arm pivoted in said casing, means normally holding said arm retracted in the casing, a time controlled device for releasing the arm from said retracting means, a sprmg for pro ectlngthe armfrom the easing when released, doors closlng the caslng,

apparatus, a casing,

a catch lever cooperating to lock said doors I closed, and a connection'between the catch lever and the delivery arm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

F. B. HENDERSON, ALBERT RAGSDALE.

WILLIAM L. MAINER. 

